Supporting charities for physical recovery

Our grants to the following organisations support beneficiaries with their physical recovery. By working together, we are avoiding duplication, reducing administration and providing a joined-up solution for individuals.

Aviation charity Aerobility, strives to remove the barriers that may prevent those with disabilities from flying, giving everyone the opportunity to benefit from this life-changing experience whatever their ability or social background.

Run largely by disabled aviators, for disabled people, the charity has numerous airfields throughout the UK including Blackbushe, Tatenhill in the Midlands, and Prestwick in Scotland.

The charity’s main aim is to deliver a programme that encompasses:

Aerospace and Ability (Aerobility) – focus on what individuals can do rather than what they can’t

Capability – they have their own aircraft fleet specially adapted for disabled pilots with specialist equipment and skilled instructors in disabled flight training

Everybody – to include all disabilities and ages, absolute inclusivity

Help for Heroes have previously provided funding to Aeribility via our Battle Back programme, which has helped in excess of 50 individuals access their facilities.

The new grant funding from H4H will be used to continue to provide flight training and aviation based skills acquisition to wounded injured and sick Military personnel.

Taking part in such activities will help our heroes to overcome personal barriers and aid their physical and mental rehabilitation. Moreover it can help them to gain the independence and confidence to focus on what they can achieve, rather than what they can’t, and facilitate the realisation that injuries do not have to dictate future accomplishments.

Social outcomes include employment opportunities in aviation and training that can lead to solo and pilots licences.

BB Golf was established in August 2009 and aims to deliver golfing education programmes, competitive opportunities and equipment to enable seriously injured service personnel to use golf as part of their physical and cognitive rehabilitation.

Physical. Players are taught the fundamentals of golf and more experienced players are allowed to develop their current game in a purposeful but fun way. Physical and occupational therapists are typically on hand to link these lessons to an individual's physical rehabilitation or recovery by setting a level of challenge that will improve mobility, strength, speed, skill and stamina.

Social. Social inclusion in sport is an important part of the process of normalisation. Taking part in sport enables individuals to meet new people and make new friends outside the clinical / recovery setting. Furthermore, the inclusion of other WIS veterans facilitates informal peer mentoring opportunities.

Grant funding of £8,100 from Help for Heroes enables the BB Golf team take part in the Capt Pietsch Trophy in Florida.

Blesma is a national charity for limbless serving and ex Servicemen and women, and their dependants and widows.

In 2009, Help for Heroes provided grant funding of £100k to support four adventurous challenges for the wounded, organised by Blesma. This included a transatlantic yacht race, a ski trip to Colorado, ski bobbing in Austria and the Fastnet Challenge.

The Combined Services Disabled Ski Team (CSDST) is a charitable organisation which uses Alpine skiing to rehabilitate those serving and retired service personnel who have been injured during their military service. The team was started in early 2008 by Maj Ian Large, an ex-Combined Services Alpine Team Captain, who saw the potential for otherwise fit young men and women to enter the realm of adaptive skiing and ultimately for some to represent their country in the Winter Paralympics.

Adaptive Skiing is a key discipline for the Battle Back programme, which also receives financial support from Help for Heroes (H4H). Similarly to the Battle Back programme, the CSDST aims to inspire wounded Servicemen and women to achieve ambitious goals, rather than focusing on what they can no longer do.

Help for Heroes funding provides transport and equipment to get wounded troops and veterans on to the slopes.

CSTSD's goal is to feed athletes into the British Disabled Ski Team with the ultimate target of participation in Paralympic events.

Former Sergeant Mick Brennan who lost both legs above the knee in a suicide-bomb blast in Iraq in 2004 is one of the individuals who have benefitted from H4H grant funding to CSDST. Mick has gone on the compete for ParalympicsGB, representing his country once again.

Everyone involved in the CSDST has overcome remarkable adversity just to learn to ski but for many, this is just the beginning. Those that have shown extraordinary talent are focussed on the truly demanding but achievable goal of representing their country in the Sochi Winter Paralympics in 2014.

Deptherapy is a revolutionary approach to rehabilitation devised by Fraser Bathgate who is the pioneer of an unusual but highly effective form of treatment - scuba diving. Help for Heroes grant funding of £40k was used to fund three injured former forces personnel to undergo diving rehabilitation in Florida at a specialist facility alongside US Forces.

Help for Heroes have granted £4,000 for a single para scull for at Gateshead Rowing Club. The scull will be used by wounded, injured or sick Veterans at the club using rowing as a regular part of their recovery.

The first task for Help for Heroes when the Charity started back in 2007 was to provide a new swimming pool and gym complex at DMRC Headley Court.

Work on the H4H Complex began officially on 11th December 2008 when the Secretary of State for Defence, John Hutton and H4H Co Founder Bryn Parry dug the first turf. The new building was opened in 2010 by HRH Prince William. The Complex, which provides state-of-the-art facilities including a swimming pool, gym and research centre, has proved to be an invaluable resource for those recovering at Headley Court.

In addition to the capital support costs provided for the H4H Complex, Help for Heroes have committed £1m to support the costs of the ADVANCE project (Armed Services Trauma Rehabilitation Outcome).

The £1.145m ADVANCE study is a vital new project to collate data over a twenty year period, examining the outcomes for battlefield casualties across all services.

ADVANCE will then be able to answer critical questions and provide clear evidence on health outcomes while enhancing trauma care and rehabilitation for future combat casualties.

As well as influencing all future rehabilitation efforts, the ‘ADVANCE’ study will have an additional impact on compensation and war pension awards. The DMRC Benevolent Fund will be administrating and running the 20 year Advance project which is expected to commence in the Autumn of 2014.

Help for Heroes are thrilled to be making such a substantial contribution to a vital and important piece of research into the well-being and long-term needs of injured military personnel.

Help for Heroes has pledged a grant to Jubilee Sailing Trust (JST) to enable several recovering Service personnel to undertake sailing challenges.

Since 2009, Help for Heroes and the JST have worked together to give several wounded heroes the opportunity to take to the water, from sailing around the world, to competing in The Tall Ships' Races.

JST is a registered charity that owns and operates the only two tall ships in the world designed specifically to enable people with a variety of sensory and physical disabilities, including amputees and wheelchair users, to join in activities such as setting sails, navigating, steering the ship and keeping night watches.

Marine Mark Jackson completed a voyage last year and said that the opportunity to sail in The Tall Ships Races was exciting, stimulating and totally different from anything he had expected or done in the Marines.

Corporal Denbigh Hopkins said they met some really interesting people and their long watches were often spent talking through their experiences.

Mission Motorsport provides respite, rehabilitation, recreational opportunities and training through motorsport and through participation in competition. Their strong team ethos helps to inspire and rebuild confidence and individuals on the course are developing skills including mechanical competencies, logistics and management.

Team participation in Motorsport has many benefits from inspiring and rebuilding confidence to developing resilience and ability to cope with a disability in different and testing environments; instilling a greater degree of independence.

To date, Help for Heroes have provided over £1.6m in grant funding to Mission Motorsport.

Forces Sailing Charity, Turn to Starboard is receiving grant funding from Help for Heroes to provide individual support to veterans and their families taking part in its RYA courses including Yacht Master, Cruising Instructor, Day Skipper and Family courses.

Additional funds will support the running costs of two key positions within the charity for up to one year, both of which will be filled by wounded veterans who have transitioned to civvy street.

Veteran Roy Newport suffered a spinal compression injury after his vehicle went over a legacy landmine in 2010. As well as living with the physical effects of the incident, Roy has since suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder; hidden wounds which have impacted hugely on his recovery process in day to day life and the lives of his wife and two young children who he lives with in Cornwall.

Roy, who was medically discharged in 2014 after spending time serving with Hasler, the Navy’s tri-service rehabilitation unit in Devonport Naval Base, recalls how the PTSD affected him: “I couldn’t even talk to anyone, I really struggled. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I’d have full on panic attacks, no control over my own body.”

He also received a grant for a running machine from Help for Heroes, which was delivered to his home personally by CEO Bryn Parry, to keep on top of his fitness while he struggled to leave the house. In return he has since fundraised over £5,000 for the charity, wanting to give something back for the ongoing support.

Roy commented: “I’ve done a lot of sailing before but never gained any qualifications. I find it therapeutic as there’s no time to sit and ponder. Everything is completely different at sea than when you’re on land. I’m quite a bubbly character and to lose that part of me was hard.

“I’m at a point now where I can control how I feel and have a normal conversation, but it took a long time to get there. I’m signed up to the Zero to Hero scheme with Turn to Starboard to get to Yachtmaster level and am currently acting as a volunteer coordinator and mentoring others. A lot of the guys on the scheme have PTSD so it’s great for them to see how far I’ve come.”

Turn to Starboard’s CEO Shaun Pascoe has been through the rehabilitation process himself and so knows first-hand just how powerful being out on the water can be. He commented: “Learning new skills, achieving qualifications, forging new friendships and experiencing adventure, that’s what we offer and it’s incredibly powerful in aiding recovery. We’ve had veterans complete our courses saying they’ve found an increased sense of purpose and pride which ultimately boosts their self-esteem. This funding from Help for Heroes will allow us to increase the amount of weeks on offer and ultimately ensure more of our heroes have access to the benefits of being out on the water.”

Bryn Parry Co-Founder of Help for Heroes said: “We estimate that there are more than 10,500 British men and women who have been injured in the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. For these individuals, the transition into civilian life can be an incredibly daunting prospect. We are proud to be supporting Turn to Starboard’s programme which is giving individuals a massive boost in skills and confidence and we are particularly excited to provide this opportunity for the families of our wounded as part of our wider Sports Recovery Programme.”

If you are interested in applying for a new grant or wish to renew an existing grant funding, please click here.